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Red’s Meadow, the PCT and JMT — A Lightbackpacker Must-See

Me, center with hiking companions Bruce, left, and Al, right at Rainbow Falls.

Getting there — from Portland, Oregon to Mammoth, California — took some doing.

Keeping an eye on the weather, seeing nothing but sunshine and 65 degrees days at 8,000 feet in the Eastern Sierra, two friends and I booked a flight to Reno where we met a fourth friend and then drove three and a half hours to Mammoth, then down into wilderness.

Logistics and lateness in the season didn’t allow for a backpack, even though before and after the weather turned out to be gorgeous. Instead, we booked a cabin at Red’s Meadow Resort.

For those not familiar with the area, Red’s is a pack station that runs horses and mules to take people into the backcountry. But the resort includes a cafe and store with a nearby backpacker campground and hot, geothermal fed showers. Red’s is right on the PCT and JMT, so a favorite refueling spot for thru and section hikers.

Red’s has closed for the season, despite the beautiful weather (60’s and sunshine). But no doubt the wilderness will close down soon as winter creeps in. Maybe it’s too late to backpack there this year, but it is a definite bucket list trip for next year.